Chapter 6: Master Chai, I Have a Business Proposal to Discuss with You
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Cang Prefecture.
Beside the imperial highway stood an inn. What sort of inn was it? A poem sings its praises:
On the ancient road, a lonely village lies;
Beside the road, a village inn.
Willows trail along the bank, their silken banners hanging at dawn;
Lotuses ripple in the breeze, stirring the green wine curtain.
Liu Ling once sprawled drunkenly before its beds;
Li Bai once slept in drunkenness against its walls.
Village brew emboldens the sturdy peasant;
Country liquor lends color to the old man's face.
Immortals have left their jade pendants here;
Princes and ministers have come in their golden caps.
At that moment the inn was empty. Three or five servers lounged listlessly behind the counter.
Suddenly, three burly men entered and went straight to a table.
Fine fellows they were. Each stood more than eight feet tall. One had a powerful face, thick brows, and large eyes, resembling a vajra guardian. Another was broad and imposing, with fists like boulders and a three-pronged yellow beard. The leader stood nine feet tall, with the bearing of a celestial guardian and a spirit soaring to the heavens.
“Brother, we are already within the borders of Cang Prefecture. Sir Chai should be close by. Let us eat something here, then go seek him.”
The thick-browed, big-eyed man clasped his fists toward the leader.
“Brother Song Wan is right. You have come to discuss business with Sir Chai, so naturally you cannot go on an empty stomach. Innkeeper, do you have wine and food? Bring us a good serving at once!”
The man with the three-pronged yellow beard spoke to their leader with equal respect.
“Zhu Gui, no wine. We are paying our respects to an honored gentleman, and it would be improper to drink.”
The leader removed his bamboo hat. It was none other than Ren Yuan.
The two men accompanying him were Song Wan, known by the nickname Cloud-Borne Vajra, and Zhu Gui, known as the Crocodile of Dry Land.
Zhu Gui had known Ren Yuan for a long time. The previous year, while Ren Yuan was roaming the martial world, he had encountered Zhu Gui in Yishui County, where a gang of ruffians was hounding him for debt. Ren Yuan had intervened out of honor and rescued him.
From that day onward, Zhu Gui followed Ren Yuan. Knowing that Zhu Gui possessed a talent for running inns, Ren Yuan entrusted him with all affairs concerning the brewing and sale of Immortal's Drunkenness once the liquor had been produced.
Of course, what Zhu Gui sold at present was not the true Immortal's Drunkenness, but only its original version. Even so, it was more delicious than most of the fine wines sold throughout the Great Song.
As for Song Wan, Ren Yuan had met him not long ago while traveling.
At the time, Song Wan had been preparing to join Mount Liang. But after meeting Ren Yuan, the two had taken to each other at once. When Song Wan learned that Ren Yuan was the man known as the Sky-Supporting Pillar, he immediately knelt before him and acknowledged him as his elder brother.
“Are the three heroes here looking for someone?”
The innkeeper himself came forward and addressed the three men.
“Innkeeper, I have heard that Sir Chai is staying in this area. Is that true?”
Ren Yuan asked with a smile.
“You gentlemen are not from around here, are you? Do you know Sir Chai?”
The innkeeper looked somewhat surprised.
“Who in the martial world has not heard the great name of Chai Jin, the Little Whirlwind?”
Ren Yuan naturally knew who Chai Jin was.
“A descendant of the imperial house of the Great Zhou's Emperor Shizong. After the Chenqiao Mutiny, the founding emperor granted his family an iron deed of immunity, and he has made it his special duty to welcome heroes from every corner of the realm. Have I got that right?”
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“Indeed, indeed!”
The innkeeper could see that this man had some connection with the Chai family. Hearing such praise for his master, he was naturally delighted.
“If you gentlemen are looking for Sir Chai, it would be better not to eat here. The food at his estate is far superior to anything this little inn can offer.”
“Then where is Sir Chai's estate?”
“Just ahead. Go about two or three miles, turn here and there by the great stone bridge, and you will see a large manor. That is the place.”
The innkeeper pointed out the way with great enthusiasm.
“Brother, then shall we...?”
Song Wan asked Ren Yuan for his decision. After all, he had already entrusted his very life to this man.
“Then we shall go pay our respects to Sir Chai first. Thank you, innkeeper.”
Ren Yuan took five ounces of silver from his robes and placed them on the table before walking out. Song Wan and Zhu Gui followed closely behind.
Once outside, the three men continued along the dirt road. Sure enough, after two or three miles, they suddenly came upon a great stone bridge. Crossing it, they found a broad, level road paved with stone slabs. Before long, they could see a manor emerging amid the shade of green willows.
A stream encircled the estate on every side. Great drooping willows lined both banks, and beneath their shade ran a continuous wall of whitewashed plaster. Rounding the bend and reaching the front gate, they saw what a magnificent manor it was!
Its grandeur was beyond compare. A poem praises it thus:
The gate faces the scarlet road; the hills join the Azure Dragon.
Ten thousand peach blossoms bloom beside Peach-Blossom Creek;
A thousand trees flower in the gardens of Golden Valley.
In the Hall of Worthies, rare flowers bloom in every season;
Before the Hall of Ten Thousand Blossoms, every festival rivals springtime.
A golden plaque of imperial pardon hung in the hall;
Within the household lay an iron deed of immunity.
Red pillars and green-glazed tiles sheltered the nine-tiered lofty hall;
Painted beams and carved rafters made it a dwelling of surpassing refinement.
If this was not the residence of a present-day noble of imperial blood,
Then surely it belonged to an emperor of ages past.
When Ren Yuan and the other two arrived at the estate, they saw four or five retainers seated on the broad plank bridge. Ren Yuan stepped forward and clasped his fists toward them.
“Ren Yuan of Taiyuan, accompanied by my friends Song Wan and Zhu Gui. We are passing through and wish to pay our respects to Sir Chai.”
“Ren Yuan? Are you the very Ren Yuan known throughout the martial world as the Sky-Supporting Pillar?”
The retainers who served as gatekeepers at Chai Jin's estate were all sharp and capable men. The moment they heard Ren Yuan's name, they naturally thought of the hero whose reputation had been rising so rapidly in recent years.
“That is indeed Ren Yuan. May I ask whether Sir Chai is at home today? I have a business proposition I would like to discuss with him.”
“Hero, please wait a moment. I shall report your arrival at once.”
One of the retainers immediately ran into the compound, while the others brought out a chair for Ren Yuan.
Ren Yuan, the Sky-Supporting Pillar, was no ordinary idler who came to the estate merely to eat and drink at someone else's expense. He possessed genuine skill, and he had business to discuss. Such a man could not be treated carelessly.
“Even Sir Chai must respect your great name, Brother.”
Song Wan's admiration for Ren Yuan was absolute. The two men had originally become acquainted because their appearances and nicknames bore some resemblance, but now, if Ren Yuan told Song Wan to go east, he would never dream of going west.
“Every sedan chair is carried by many hands. This little reputation of mine means nothing. Keep your spirits up, and do not let us lose face.”
Ren Yuan did not sit in the chair. Instead, he solemnly gave a few instructions to his two brothers.
After all, Chai Jin's estate represented an important link in Ren Yuan's plans for the future.
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Before long, movement stirred within the estate. A young man of roughly the same age came striding out, surrounded by attendants.
Ren Yuan was tall and saw him at once.
What a Chai Jin! He truly was descended from dragons and emperors!
He had brows shaped like a dragon's and eyes like a phoenix's, pearly teeth and vermilion lips, with a neat three-fingered beard veiling his mouth. He appeared to be twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old.
Upon his head sat a black gauze cap with swept-up corners and clustered flowers. He wore a purple robe embroidered across the chest with a round floral design, a delicate belt set with precious jade rings around his waist, and black court boots trimmed with gold thread and green silk.
“Are you the Sky-Supporting Pillar, Ren Yuan?”
Even from a considerable distance, Chai Jin was the first to greet him.
“It is merely a humble nickname, hardly worth mentioning. Sir Chai, you have my respects!”
Ren Yuan offered Chai Jin a formal greeting of the martial world. Song Wan and Zhu Gui hurriedly followed suit behind him.
“Your fists have subdued three prefectures and six commanderies; your blade has held the banks of the Yellow River in check. A man who has earned such praise must certainly possess genuine ability, Brother Ren.”
Chai Jin wore an expression that plainly said he approved of Ren Yuan, leaving Ren Yuan at a loss for words.
Could one say Chai Jin had poor judgment? His estate truly was skilled at gathering heroes. Lin Chong and Wu Song had both stayed here.
Yet if one said his judgment was sound... how could he have enshrined a worthless man like Instructor Hong as chief instructor, or treated Wu Song with such coldness? However one looked at it, Chai Jin showed a touch of the befuddled ruler about him.
Now that Chai Jin was praising him so lavishly, Ren Yuan could not help feeling a headache coming on.
Should he accept the compliment, or should he not?
“May I ask, Brother Ren, what brings you here from so far away?”
After a few pleasantries, Chai Jin came to the point.
“Sir Chai, I have a business proposition I would like to discuss with you.”
Ren Yuan clasped his fists and spoke with great solemnity.
“In that case, let us enter the estate and discuss it at length.”
Chai Jin was no fool. Ren Yuan would certainly not invoke his own reputation without reason. This business proposition was probably about more than business alone.
“After you, Sir Chai.”
“After you, Brother Ren.”
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